On Thu, Feb 7, 2013 at 11:35 PM, LANGLOIS Olivier PIS -EXT < olivier.pis.langlois@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > Mike, > > I cannot think what would stop you from running a browser without any DE > or WM. Just edit your ~/.xinitrc. > > Just add firefox to it. > > then > > startx > > It will run fullscreen with no title bar and the usual window frame. > > man xinit > > if you want to know a little bit the role of .xinitrc file in relation > with the X server execution scope. Thank you for this tip about running a browser without a D.E. - despite a decade running linux this issue concerning setting up sound is a hole in my knowledge which I need to do some learning on. Following the suggestions in your post plus the previous replies to my question I will now go and work on this. In the past I have never had any sound issues and the defaults have always just worked without adjustment (in recent years at least). The machine I have the issue with is rather new, and this is the first time I have needed to work with HDMI sound. Once I get things working I will post what works with this system. I guess that as time passes more people will have monitors connected with HDMI and Displayport and perhaps move away from having sound via the analogue sound port which is what I have always done until now. -- mike c